A Miami small business built on culture—and community

JPMorganChase client was told in advance that they would be featured in advertising.

Miami-Dade County is ranked number-one in the country for small-business growth. Small businesses are the backbone of the local economy. But many of them struggle with limited access to capital and a lack of mentorship.

JPMorganChase is working to bridge this gap, serving more than 415,000 small business customers in Greater Miami. Among them is Azucar Ice Cream Company, a longtime fixture in the city’s Little Havana neighborhood.

I Scream for Helado de Mantecado

Azucar was born out of a series of challenges that hit its founder, Suzy Batlle, all at once: a job layoff, a cancer diagnosis, and a divorce. Even as she embarked on a new career in real estate, her two small children maintained she should pursue a different line of work: She should open an ice cream shop, they said. After all, she’d raised them eating ice cream every day—as her own Cuban parents had raised her.

At lunch a few months later with a colleague in Little Havana, Batlle happened to notice a vacant storefront. She hadn’t forgotten her kids’ idea, and in a flash of inspiration she realized that here, in the symbolic center of the nation’s Cuban community, she could make ice cream that embraced her Cuban heritage.

Before the day was out, Batlle had the keys to the space. Ice cream-making classes followed in short order.

Azucar, which Batlle opened in July of 2011, is a thriving small business that deeply reflects the culture of Little Havana, from its distinctly Cuban flavors (like Abuela Maria ice cream with guava and Maria crackers) to the local produce used to make them; from the big colorful facade outside of the Calle Ocho to the guayaberas from family members’ closets decorating the walls.

Azucar—the word means sugar in Spanish—was a natural fit in Little Havana from its very first day, when Batlle sold so much ice cream that she had to return to the shop at 5 AM the next morning to make more.

In the years since, the shop has found a customer base that includes not just kids and tourists passing through Calle Ocho, but also local senior citizens, who tell her she's recaptured the flavors of their Cuban childhoods.

Building for the Future

Early on, being a small business owner proved to be challenging. The bank Batlle was working with at the time couldn’t keep her supplied with enough change to make it through the day—a critical issue for a business whose customers typically paid in cash. “We went to Chase,” Batlle says, “and we've been there ever since.”

Batlle’s strong relationship with her Business Relationship Manager, Ledif Oramas, and Team Lead/Area Manager, Ramin Kordi, has enabled Azucar not merely to thrive in Little Havana for more than 15 years, but also to grow in intentional, sustainable ways. Oramas supports both the day-to-day and long-term aspects of her business, while Kordi supports on more complex needs and escalations to help get things done.

Oramas supports both the day-to-day and long-term aspects of her business, she says: “I love the fact that he looks at my goals and helps me get there. He listens.” Their work together has led to the opening of a second store in Pinecrest (a third, in Hialeah, is in the works) and the purchase of a storage warehouse.

“Clients like Azucar require that in-depth service that turns us from bankers into true collaborators,” says Oramas, a Miami-based JPMorganChase Vice President and Business Relationship Manager. “Suzy and I have open lines of communication, day or night, to talk through anything she needs from me and the bank to help make her successful.”

Batlle has drawn on other JPMorganChase resources as well, including the Chase for Business Coaching for Impact® program, which offers both one-on-one mentoring and networking opportunities: Even after her years in business, she says, the course gave her new insights into reading P&Ls and balance sheets. Free financial education workshops at the local Chase branch have also helped her make the right decisions for Azucar.

The Little Havana Chase branch, just four blocks away from Batlle’s storefront, is as much a fixture of the neighborhood as any local small business. Roosters roam the parking lot, as they do the entire neighborhood. Spanish-speaking tellers enable residents and local merchants to bank in their own language.

When small businesses have the guidance and support they need to thrive, they can create a vibrant culture and economy in their communities—a goal that Batlle and JPMorganChase are striving for every day in Little Havana.

Participation in the Chase for Business Coaching for Impact® program is subject to availability. You should carefully consider your needs and objectives before making any decisions as a result of this program and consult the appropriate professional(s).

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